


The Safety of the Nest

by TheMalhamBird



Category: Versailles (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 01:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17498828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMalhamBird/pseuds/TheMalhamBird
Summary: Henriette has had it with being a pawn in the arguments between Louis and Phillipe. Fortunately for her, she has a brother of her own





	The Safety of the Nest

**Author's Note:**

> I adore Phillipe & Chevy, but I also adore Minette and she deserved better than the way they and Louis treated her. Honestly, the best thing for all of them would have been for Minette to be able to go home to her brother and them all to get on with separate lives, and her NOT die of poisoning in one of the most painful scenes I've ever watched on television. 
> 
> Historically speaking, Charles and Minette were very close. They were in close correspondence for all of Minette's life and he was devastated by her death

 “Sire!” 

Charles groaned and rolled on to his other side, away from the hand frantically shaking his shoulder, and pulled his bedcovers over his head. 

“Sire, it is Madame- your sister, Princess Henriette-”

“Whazzat?” the King’s eyes flew open and he tossed the covers back off himself, rolling to face the servant. “What’s that about Minette?” Concern for his baby sister cut through the fog of sleep hovering over his brain as he swung himself out of bed. He snatched his dressing robe from the lad and pulled it on- that sort of thing was always quicker if one did it oneself- and all but ran from the room as the servant said 

“Sire- she’s _here._ ”

* * *

“Minette, you’re soaking, chick, what the devil’re you doing in Windsor in the middle of the night in the pouring rain!” Charles couldn’t be bothered with formalities, not when his little sister was standing in his hall with water dripping off the end of her nose. He clicked his fingers  at a guard. “A cloak, or towels, or something for Madame my favourite sister.” Minette wasn’t his favourite, of course, he didn’t have favourites, choosing to adore all his siblings equally even when they did get on his nerves (James) but Minette was pale and trembling and whatever had brought her here like this it wasn’t good, and Charles wanted to see her smile- which she did, a little, faltering smile. He pulled his dressing gown back off and wrapped it around her shoulders, before pulling her in to a tight hug. He stepped back a little, and began to vigorously rub his hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her up a little. “What’s going on, chick?” he asked.  

“I’m running away,” Minette wiped at her eyes. Charles stared down at her, horribly concerned. “I can’t bear it anymore, brother. Versailles is- it’s stifling. I can feel the cracks in my heart getting wider with every breath I take…”

Charles led her to steps of the dias his throne stood upon, and sat down with her. For Minette to have left France- to have made it to Windsor by herself…”They think I am at Saint-Cloud,” Minette said, hunching in on herself and rocking back and forth slightly. “Charles, I have been…I have been…”

Out it all came. How she had been in love with Louis since she was a very little girl. How her marriage to Monsieur was somewhat- hampered- by his preferences. Charles wasn’t one to judge- he was in no position to, really, even if his tastes didn’t run _quite_ so far down the line of debauchery as to all that-but really, was it too much to ask that he try _not_ to make Charles’ baby sister miserable while rolling about in bed  with his gentleman friend? As for Louis, taking Minette for a mistress- pah! Treating the King of England’s sister as a plaything- pah! Using her in his petty squabbles with his younger brother- pah, and pah, and pah again!

“You stay here,” Charles growled. “You stay here safe with me, Minette. I’ll keep you safe.”

“But you can’t,” Minette said quietly, sitting back and wiping her face with the heel of her palm. “This was- so foolish- I shouldn’t have come- but I wanted to be at home, and I don’t think I have one in France. But I must go back.”

“I don’t see why.”

“Because my personal feelings about my marriage- my situation- don’t matter,” Minette said. “It’s about England needing some kind of relationship with France-”

“Not particularly,” Charles shrugged. “We’ll find a way around it. Give Louis some pretty bauble or something- he seems to like that sort of thing.” he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You are not a pretty bauble,” he said, “You’re far, far more important than that. We’ll sort this all out, and even if…” he sighed, and shoved the potential political mess far out of his head. “Come on chick,” he said. “Let’s find you a room and some dry things, and we’ll worry about it in the morning.”


End file.
